New Delhi: Over the past decade, India’s energy sector has undergone significant transformation, marked by expansion, modernisation and a strong push towards sustainability, thanks to the country’s Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) which have played a key role in the energy progress. Besides this, the country is rapidly becoming self-reliant in the field of chemical production as well.
From refining capacity to pipeline infrastructure and clean fuel adoption, the Oil & Gas industry has played a major role in supporting a more self-reliant and inclusive Bharat over the last 10 years as compared to previous decades.
Speaking to ETV Bharat, R Ramakrishnan, Executive Director at HPCL, said the company has started utilising crude oil more efficiently currently, and the focus will be to enhance this capacity further. He also added that HPCL is currently capable of producing 80 percent of the types of chemicals used in the country, and its manufacturing capacity has also increased.
As per the government data, India’s refining capacity has increased from 215 MMTPA in 2014 to over 256.8 MMTPA in 2025. HPCL has expanded its own capacity from 14.8 to 24.5 MMTPA, with the Visakh Refinery Modernisation Project (VRMP) standing out as a major milestone, among other OMCs.
“The modernised Visakhapatnam Refinery provides an impetus to the east coast’s energy capabilities by being cleaner, more efficient, and well-equipped to serve both domestic and international markets,” said Ramakrishnan.
The country’s fuel transportation network now spans more than 25,000 KM. Joining the growth story is HPCL as its Visakh–Vijayawada–Secunderabad Pipeline (VVSPL) highlights the shift towards pipeline-based distribution, reducing road congestion, carbon emissions, and logistics costs as well. This infrastructure plays a vital role in supporting industrial activity and mobility.
Big Data
In this last decade, Natural Gas and use of Ethanol has grown significantly. Between 2014 and 2025:
(i) CNG stations grew from 738 to over 7,720,
(ii) PNG connections reached 1.47 crore homes,
(iii) Ethanol blending rose from 1.5% to 18.5%.
R Ramakrishnan told that currently HPCL operating 457 CNG stations. He further stated that the company is expanding its presence in 15 city gas distribution areas while blending over 130 crore litres of ethanol in FY25 alone.
Unique Cooling
In HPCL Visakh Refinery, a unique cooling process has been adopted which is not only efficient but also saves water. In refinery operations, energy is recovered by heat integration. Low-level heat from the process, which cannot be recovered, is rejected either to Air (through air fin cooler operation) or to water with trim coolers. Huge amount of cooling water is required for removing this residual heat, and usually in in-land refineries, river water is used as the cooling medium.
As this refinery is located on the east coast with proximity to sea, sea water is available in plenty and is used as the cooling medium for removing this residual heat. This has also reduced the fresh water foot print of the refinery. Visakh Refinery employs three re-circulating cooling towers for reducing the sea water intake. Sea water is also used for generating raw water by desalination process. Visakh Refinery has got two desalination units for reducing the fresh water intake.
Green Hydrogen Plant
Green hydrogen is emerging as a game-changer in the pursuit of clean energy. Electrolysis, a process powered by renewable electricity, offers a sustainable method to produce hydrogen from water. This green hydrogen holds immense promise for decarbonising various sectors, including transportation, industry and energy storage.
To take advantage of this form of energy, in July 2024, Visakh Refinery successfully commissioned the first Green Hydrogen plant in any Indian Refinery. The capacity of this plant is 370 tons per annum and it is powered using renewable electricity. The unit employs the Bipolar Alkaline type electrolysis method to produce Hydrogen and oxygen. This Green Hydrogen unit utilises a modular design, housed within secure containers for ease of transportation, deployment and scalability.
